I bought some whole wheat flour to make the sourdough starter so I wanted to use it to make some bread! I asked my husband what kind he wanted and he wanted a super seedy bread. I read a lot of recipes and just kinda did whatever to see what came out.

I went to sprouts and got a few scoops of organic sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and millet (which I had never used before)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 warm milk
• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 packet yeast (active dry or instant work)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 1/2 – 2 3/4 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cups seeds (plus more for the topping)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. I started by mixing the packet of yeast and warm milk together and letting it it sit covered for 10 minutes to bloom.

2. Mix in the butter, egg, and honey. I sprayed my measuring cup with some oil before I put the honey in and it helped it slip right out.

3. Add all the dry ingredients and mix with dough hook. It should pull away from the edges and form a ball. This is where you’ll add in your seeds. I ended up putting around 2/3 cups which was a perfect amount BUT we ended up wanting more pumpkin seeds. But you can do whatever ratio of mix-ins you want.

4. I let it “knead” in the stand-mixer for 8 minutes. But this I don’t think did the trick. Next time I’m going to knead by hand. The bread came out just a little dense and didn’t rise a ton when I let it sit to proof. It also ended up cracking in half. I read part of that could be not kneading it enough and getting enough gluten development. So I think 10 minutes by hand would be better. I tried to do the windowpane test but I read it doesn’t do it as well with wheat flour or with mix-ins🤷‍♀️

5. After kneading, transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and put it in a warm place to proof for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size. After rising, grease a 9×5 pan. Punch down your bread and transfer to your counter. Press it out slightly into a rectangle then roll it up into a log and make a tight loaf shape. Place seam side down and allow to rise a second time in a warm place for 30-45 minutes. Mine didn’t rise a ton either time so I need to figure out why. I wonder if my milk was too warm and killed the yeast?

6. Pre-heat oven to 350° and bake for 80 minutes or 190° internally. I originally wanted to try 40 minutes baking but I think because it was so dense it didn’t work as well. I covered it loosely with foil after 30 minutes to stop the browning on top. When it’s done, transfer onto a cooling rack immediately. Top with butter right after. This will help the crust be softer.

7. Allow to completely cool before slicing. (I know that’s hard) it keeps the bread a lot more moist.

ENJOY

Some things I would chance, more kneading/proofing. More pumpkin seeds. Figure out how to get more rise and less dense bread. The flavor is AMAZING though. So I think I can still use the same recipe but my technique is off.